Amalgamator



Jan. 21, 1930. J. F. WELSH 1,744,427

AMALGAMATOR Filed Jan. 17, 1928 MA 4m u il ggwllll/ JOHN E WELSH $51 lV/v/febeaf q l o Patented Jan. 21, 1930 PATENT OFFICE JOHN I. WELSH, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO mammaroa Application filed January 17, 1928. Serial No. 247,323.

This invention relates to amalgamators for recovering values from placer material, comminuted ores and the like and has for anobject to provide, in an amalgamator having mercury-retaining rifles, means for causing material, to be treated, to flow across said rifles by centrifugal force.

A further object is to provide, in an amalgamator, means for efliciently controlling, as to speed and. quantity, the passage over the rifles of the material to be treated.

A further object is to rovide, in an amalgamator, simple means fbr adapting the device to the handlingof either coarse or fine material.

A further object is to provide an amalgamator in which electricity may be readily and efficiently applied in aid of the recovery of values and the provision of means, in such amalgamator, for such application;

Further objects are to provide an improved amalgamator simple, durable and compact in construction, eflclent in operation as'to uantity of material handled, the recove o values therefrom and as to the saving 1n water and power used in operation.

Other objects will a pear from the following specification and c aims illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which like characters of. reference indicate corresponding parts throughout and in which Figure I is a view partlyin elevation and partly in section of. the improved amalgamator.

Figure II is a detailed view in vertical section showing the lower part of the amalgamator with the false bottom or adapter in place.

Figure III is a detail showing the shape or structure of the rifles and Figure IV is a section on line aa of Figure I, illustrating the electrifying means.

The invention ma be generally described as a bowl with annu ar rifles upon the inner walls thereof, rovided with means for holding a charge ofhnercury at the bottom, means for-revolving the bowl at desired speeds for filling the rifles with mercury, by means of centrifugal force of the revolution of the bowl and means for supplying the material 50 'to be treated to the bottom of the bowl from whence it will be thrown up across the annular rifles by the centrifugal force of the revolution of the bowl and in passing across such rifles the values will be drawn from the material being treated by the mercury in manner similar to the action of the mercury in the rifles at the bottom of a sluice, the materials passing out over the top of the bowl after the values have thus been extracted. Means are also provided in the bottom of the bowl for the recovery of some of the values therein. Means are also provided for supplying electricity for activating the mercury at the bottom of the bowl. I

Upon any suitable support the amalgamator is revolubly mounted, as upon shaft 2, revoluble in a bushing 3 and terminating in the bottom of the bowl 4 keyed thereto by the pin 5, so as to cause revolution of the bowl 4: with the shaft 2. Suitable bearings 6 are provided and the joint between the shaft 2 and the bowl 4: is tight to prevent leakage.

The bottom of the bowl 4 is provided with a chamber 7 having an annular recess 8. Annular grooves 9 and rifles 10 are formed in the inner wall of the bowl, the bowl being formed with flaring sides as clearly shown in the drawings.

The bowl is preferably provided with a rolled upper edge 11 so as to prevent the overflow from the bowl flowing down on the outside wall of the bowl.

A suitable casing to prevent splash and to confine and drain off the tailings is provided consisting of a wall 12, a suitable top 13 with a central aperture 14 for accommodation of the material supply pipe hereafter described, a bottom 15 sloping Into a drainage outlet 16 and having a collar 17 surrounding the bowl and terminating within and beneath the .rolled'upper edge of the bowl whereby the overflow from the bowl is deposited within the casing outside of the collar 17, which collar prevents the overflow from running down 95 around the bowl and retains the same within the chamber until it flows out of the drain 16.

The bowl may be revolved by means of the pulley 18 operated by the belt .19. connected with any suitable source of power not shown. me

A suitable drain is provided in the bottom of'the chamber 7, which drain is normally closed by the plug 20.

For electrifying the mercury a band 21 of 5 suitable material is provided around the outside of the base of the bowl opposite the chamber 7 and suitable means such as copper pins 22 are positioned with the heads preferably imbedded in the band 21 and the points extending through the walls surrounding the chamber 7 and into the chamber 7 so that the points of the pins will contact with the mercury in the chamber 7. Any suitable electrifying means may be provided, as an armature coil 23, a brush 24, grounds 25 and 26 and a battery 27, providing a circuit as indicated.

It will be noted that the annular grooves 9, preferably extend, as clearly shown in 20 Figure III, above the points 10 of the rifles so as to form a suitable-recess for the receptionfand retention of the mercury and the values amalgamating therewith. v

When it is desired to operate with very 5 line. material a falsebottom 28 is provided which se arates the chamber 7 from the inside of t e bowl proper, the bottom of the amalgamator then being the false bottom 28 instead of the bottom of the chamber 7 which so is the bottom of the amalgamator when coarser material is bein operated upon.

The false bottom is provided'with an outlet tube 29 ada ted to connect with a lug 30 in the outlet rom the bottom of c amber 7. When the fine material is being treated, the plu 30 is used for stopping this outlet and at t e same time sto ping the end of the outlet tube 29. The fal se bottom 28 may be affixed by means of a screw 21 or any other suitable means.

To furnish the material to be treated, a pipe 32 is provided terminating near the bottom of the bowl, to which pipe the material may be supplied to any suitable point not shown, thence flowing through the pipe to the bottom of the bowl.

In operating, mercury is placed in the chamber 7, the amalgamator is revolved, which results in throwing a ortion of the mercury up alon the sides 0 the bowl and into the groves 9 t erein, some of the mercury being retained in the outer portion of the chamber 7 and in the recess 8, the material to be treated is then su plied through the pipe 32, together with t e required amount of water to make the same flow as required for the amalgamating operation, the proportions of water, material and amount of mercury being determined according to approved practice. As the material drops from the pipe 32 into the bottom of the bowl, the centrifu al force of, the revolution of the bowl will throw the material up over the annular rifles in the wall of the bowl and as as it passes over the rifles and the mercury in the grooves 9 the values will be gathered from the material by the mercury in the grooves, the tailings passing out over the rolled edge 11 and thence out through the tail drain 16.

When it is desired to make a cleanup, the amalgamator is stopped, whereupon the mercury in the grooves 9 will drop down to the bottom of the bowl from whence it can be drawn oil by the removal of plug 20 if the chamber 7 is being used, or by the removal of 1516 plug '30 if the false bottom 28 is being use During the amalgamating operation, and prior thereto if desired, the current is run through the electrifying means above described, resulting in the activating of the mercury by the electricity from the pins 22. If the current be turned on while all of the mercury is in the chamber 7, all of the mercury will be activated. If the current be not turned on until after a portion of the mercury has been thrown into the grooves 9 by the revolution of the amalgamator, the mercury in the rooves will be activated only to the extent 0 the electric current transmitted from the band 21 and the pins 22 through the walls of the bowl to the mercury in t e grooves. The mercury retained in chamber 7 will be directly activated by contact with the pins 22.

Any suitable means not shown may be provided for regulating the speed of revolution of the amalgamator and the speed of the revolution will obviously determine the speed at which the material will pass over the rifles 10 and will correspondingly and partially regulate the thickness of the material inits passage over the rifles. The consistency of the material to be treated will be regulated by the amountof water supplied thereto and it will be obvious that in prac tice a very fine adjustment may be obtained by the relative regulation of the consistency of the material and the s eed of revolution of the amalgamator, suc fine adjustment making possi 1e a most eflcient treatment of material, a saving inthe amount of water used for such treatment and an adaptability of the device to various kinds of material.

I It will also be obvious that the water may be readily recovered from the tail drain 16 and supplied again to new material to be treated, thus accom lishing a further economy in the matter 0 the use of water, which 18 a vital consideration at many places at which it is desirable to operate an amalgamator.

Numerous changes ma be made in the detailed construction within the scope and spirit of the invention and the appended c aims.

I claim:

1 A rotatable amalgamator having an interiorly rifled bowl shaped portion, a removable bottom therein, a circular chamber be neath said bottom and having a peripheral recess, whereby the riflled bowl shaped portion may be used both separately for the treatment of fine material and in combination with said recessed chamber for the'treatment of coarser material.

, 2. A rotatable amalgamator having an ininteriorly riflied bowl shaped portion, a removable bottom therein, a circular chamber beneath said bottom and having a peripheral recess, a closable drain in the bottom" of said chamber, means for draining said removable bottom into said drain, when said bottom is in place.

3. A rotatable amalgamator having an interiorly riflied bowl shaped portion, a removable bottom therein, a circular chamber beneath said bottom and having a peripheral recess for retaining mercury and means for electrically activating such mercury. 4. A rotatable amalgamator having an interiorly riflied bowl shaped portion, a removable bottom therein, a circular chamber beneath said bottom and having a peripheral recess for retaining mercury and means for electrically activating such mercury, said means comprising a band of conductive material around the periphery of the wall of said chamber and members of similar material passing through the walls of said chamber and connecting said band with the interior of said recess.

' In testimony whereof, 'I aflix my signature.

JOHN F. WELSH. 

